Refrigerator



R. SPENCER-r Refrigerator.

No. 229,059. Patent ed June 22,1880.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT SPENCER, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

REFRIGERATOR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 229,059, dated June 22, 1880. Application filed July 30, 1879.

I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT SPENCER, of Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to refrigerating-chainbers particularly adapted for the use of butchers and green-grocers; but it may be used with advantage by other trades.

My invention embraces, among other things, a revoluble rack provided with a circumferential top range of hooks and diagonal supporting-braces provided with hooks at points below and Within the circumference of said top range of hooks, whereby to obtain the greatest capacity for suspending meats in such positions as to render each part easily accessible and to permit of a free circulation of air between them. In connection With such arrangement of suspending-hooks, I. provide the central shaft of the revoluble rack with a bottom platform supported by casters upon the floor of the chamber, and adapted to be revolved with said rack, and having a free and unobstructed wayin relation to the diagonal hooked braces, for the purpose of receiving and carrying barrels of corned beef, sides of beef, hams, and the like.

The support for the circumferential range of hooks is provided with a circular gear, into which matches a pinion controlled by an outside crank, and by which any desiredpiece of meat can be brought opposite the door, and all the meats on the rack can be examined without opening the door, thus rendering it only necessary to keep the door open long enough to remove the desired article from the hook. This is effected by providing a window in the door opposite the top range of hooks and in such relation to the hand-wheel that the person can observe through the window the contents of the rack, while at the same" time revolving it to bring to his view every article thereon, so that he can determine which piece he will take before he opens the door, and then finds-it within his reach. C

The ice-receptacle is arranged at thetop of the rack-chamber, and opens into it, and from which chamber there is an escape of the foul air.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical section of a refrigerator embracing my invention, and Fig. 2 a similar section taken at right angles to Fig. 1.

I first construct a box orchamber which, preferably, should havenon-conducting walls, floor, and roof, or they should be substantially airtight and non-conducting. The chamber ought to be square.

I use a revoluble rack formed around a vertical central shaft, A, with braces B attached thereto at a point a little below its middle, and diverging in. an upward direction until they attain nearly the height of said shaft and outward to about twelve inches of the walls of the cooling-chamber, where said braces meet and are attached to a wooden felly or iron hoop, O, which hoop is also connected to shaft A by radiating spokes D, while on the lower end of the shaft, and near the floor, arms E are attached, radiating from said shaft, upon which arms a circular platform, F, is built for the reception of barrels of corned beef, &c.

The outer ends of the arms E are provided with supporting casters or wheels 8, so that no impediment may exist to the free revolution of the reel. The periphery of the folly O is provided with a series of hooks, a, from which the pieces or sides of beef are hung, while the upwardly-diverging braces B are also provided with books I), or with a ringrack of hooks, from which to suspend the forequarters and shorter articles.

The upper surface of the fellyO has a cogged gearing, O, engaging with a pinion-gear, G, the shaft of which is hung from the same beam H in which the shaft A has its top bearing, and the shaft of gear-pinion Gris connected by suitable joint 0 to the shaft of hand-wheel I, piercing the wall near the door in convenient position to be operated to turn the revoluble I rack, or to change its line of direction, as may be desired, in bringing the piece sought for to the door.

From the above description the construction of rack and its method of operation to bring any desired article to the door will be readily understood. a

.It will also be understood that the articles uponthe rack are kept in a cool, pure atmos- I phere, produced by the construction below de IOC ' the opposite side is an opening,

scribed of an ice-chamber situated above the rack.. This chamber consists, first, of a wooden diaphragm or sheathing, K, which forms the ceiling of the storage or refrigerating chamber wherein the meats are kept. This diaphragm K has upon one edge (assuming the door L to be upon the front) an upward returnextension, M, terminating at the top of the refrigerator (assuming the whole refrigerator to be ten and one-half feet high) and leaving a space, N, of about three or four inches from the side, forming a flue for the escape of foul or light air through a vent, f, in the roof. On 0, extending the length of the side between the diaphragm and the wall, forming a downtake for the cold air to the preserving-chamber. On the upper side of the diaphragm K, extending from the return M to the opposite side, several ribs, d d, or pieces of board, from three to five inches in width, pass across to the opening 0 for the descent of cold air, and serve as well to form passages e c for the air as supports for'the metallic ice-pan P. This ice-pan conforms in shape to an ordinary square pan, and should have its bottom inclining toward that side of the refrigerator where the downtake-opening O is, so that the drip may run off through a pipe, 9, which pierces the wall at that side.

Upon any convenient side of the refrigerator there is an opening protected by a door, Q, for the purpose of introducing ice into the ice-pan. The ice-pan is provided with a grating of wood, R, for the support of the ice, bearing on ledges S S.

Upon that side of the ice-pan next the return M of the diaphragm there is an air-passage, T, of a length equal to that of the pans side, over which is the ledge S for the grating.

. Having fully described the construction of my refrigerator, I shall now set forth clearly the manner in which the cold airreaches the refrigerating-chamber.

The ice-pan is filled through the door Q, and the cold air passes throughthe air-passage T of the ice-pan 1?, down through the passages c e, and descends to the refrigeratingor storage chamber through the opening(), and then, traversing the said chamber, all of said air that becomes light or foul ascends through the opposite space, N, from which it escapes through the vent f. Thus 1 cool both the top and bottom sides of the ice-pans bottom, cooling the latter by a current of cold air through passages -c e, and I thereby prevent condensation, which would render the air moist in the refrigerating-chamber.

In my description of the construction I have fully indicated its operation and purpose.

The relation of the diagonal braces to the caster-platform 'is such as to give a free and unobstructed space above the platform for the placing of barrels, 8m, thereon, and so as not to interfere with the articles han gin g from the brace-hooks, while said brace-hooks have such posite the relationto the upper circumferential range of hooks as to give the greatest facility for suspending the articles thereon and to give the freest circulation of air between and around and for this purpose the range of hooks them 7 the circle of the upper b is below and within range.

As stated, the control of the revoluble rack isby means of an outsidehand-wheel, by which the rack can be revolved or turned back and forth to bring any desired article opposite the door without opening it. T-his,-however, could not be done without special provision, which consists of a window, L, placed in the door opupper range of hooks, and in such relation to the hand-wheel I or crank that while turning it the person-can look through the window and see the article he wants, and, bringing it opposite the door, he can quickly open said door and take the article from its hook. By having the hand-wheel at oneside of the door and near the window the gearshaft is required'to be jointed to obtain the proper position for the pinion to turn the rack; but if the hand-wheel be placed onvanother side of the chamber its shaft need not be jointed. In this case, however, the' person who turns the rack cannot be at the door-window, nor place the article just where he cauenter at once and remove it. The window may have double glass.

Revoluble shelf-racks and shelves arranged within a refrigerator are not new, and hooks have been used beneath shelves fixed upon a center shaft and within arefrigerator, adapted to be supported by and revolved upon asustaming-shoulder of said shaft, and I do not wish to be understood as claiming such things; but the revoluble hooked rack which I have described embraces a construotion'and combination, in connection witha preserving-chamber, which has peculiar characteristics.

I claim- 1. In a refrigerating-chamber for the use of 'butehers, green-grocers, 8tc., a revolublerack consisting of a verticalcentral shaft,.A, rack 0, provided with hooksa, braces B; and abottom platform, F, provided with casters or rollers-s, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with a refrigerating- .chamber, of a revoluble rack consisting of' a vertical shafthavingztop andbottom bearings, circumferential ranges of hooks, and a bottom platform carried upon saidshaft andsupported by casters, substantially as hereinset forth.

3. In a refrigerating 'chamber, the revoluble rack having different ranges of hooks wt, in combination with'a bottom caster-supported platform, F, carried by avertical shaft, A,the'

top circumferentialgear, G, theoutside operating connection, I,thc chamber having the door L, provided with the window b", relative to said outside connection and to said ranges of hooks, whereby articles carried by the in- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set closed rack can be brought opposite the closed my hand.

doorfor inspection maintainin thereby amore 1 uniform temperatzlre in the chamber and pre- ROBERT SPENUER' senting the desired article at the door for in- Witnesses:

stant removal when the latter is opened, sub- W. E. GUERIN,

stantially as herein set forth. J. M. LOWE. 

